HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Matthew Franjola, a reporter and photographer for The Associated Press who was among the last Americans in Saigon before it fell to the North Vietnamese in 1975, has died. He was 72.

His ex-wife, Grace Franjola, said he died Thursday at Danbury Hospital after a long illness.

She says Franjola trained for the Peace Corps in 1964 but wasn’t selected. Instead, he went to South Vietnam to work for a war supplies company as U.S. military involvement began escalating.

Grace Franjola, who lives in Washington, Connecticut, said her ex-husband also mined for gold in Zimbabwe as it transitioned from white-ruled Rhodesia, and worked in South Africa.

Franjola was a skilled pilot and tennis player.

In addition to his ex-wife, he is survived by two daughters, three brothers and three sisters.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

WTNH NEWS8 provides commenting to allow for constructive discussion on the stories we cover. In order to comment here, you acknowledge you have read and agreed to our Terms of Service. Commenters who violate these terms, including use of vulgar language or racial slurs, will be banned. Please be respectful of the opinions of others. If you see an inappropriate comment, please flag it for our moderators to review. Also, you can now block any inappropriate user by simple selecting the drop down menu on the right of any comment and selection "Block User" from there.